FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETuesday, March 27, 2012CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS202-482-4883

Secretary Bryson encourages partnerships between U.S. and Indian businesses

U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson promoted partnerships between U.S. and Indian businesses as he discussed the U.S.-India trade relationship during meetings with several Indian government officials in New Delhi today, the second day of his five-day trade mission to India.

“It’s clear that if American and Indian businesses work together, we can build India’s infrastructure in a way that brings inclusive growth, greater prosperity, and job creation in both countries,” Bryson said. “U.S. companies stand ready to help meet India’s infrastructure development objectives, provided our firms have market access for both goods and services.”

In the morning, Secretary Bryson gave remarks at a breakfast sponsored by the American Chamber of Commerce and U.S.-India Business Council. Bryson reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to working with the Indian government to level the playing field for U.S. firms, thereby helping to pave the way for more commercial collaborations.

Following the breakfast, Secretary Bryson met with a number of high-level government officials, including Minister of Power Sushil Kumar Shinde and Minister of Civil Aviation Ajit Singh. During the meetings, Bryson highlighted U.S. industry’s interest in participating in India’s infrastructure development and spotlighted investment opportunities in Growth in Emerging Metropolitan Sectors (GEMS) cities involved in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project.

Bryson and the delegation participated in a GEMS/infrastructure-focused roundtable hosted by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce. The discussion focused on infrastructure procurement and investment opportunities in states and GEMS cities involved in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project. He said one of his most important goals this week is to gain a better understanding of the full commercial potential of India’s many regions. Bryson traveled to the airport on the new Metro Airport Express Line–an example of New Delhi's growing infrastructure sector–to fly to Jaipur, where he will see DMIC projects first hand.

The GEMS initiative embraces the notion that export-driven growth will result from small and medium-sized enterprises working with their counterparts in fast-growing “next-tier” cities in emerging markets like India. The DMIC is a corridor expected to be built between the cities of Mumbai and Delhi with the massive budget of $90 billion.

Tomorrow, Secretary Bryson travels to Jaipur, where he will deliver keynote remarks before a group of Rajasthan industry representatives about ways to increase the kind of mutually beneficial trade that provides win-win opportunities for the United States and India. In addition, Bryson and the delegation will tour Jaipur Foot, a manufacturer of prosthetic devices for below-the-knee amputations, and Mahindra World City, a joint venture between Mahindra and the Government of Rajasthan, to explore the many opportunities for U.S. and Indian companies to collaborate to provide equipment, services and technologies to help India achieve its development goals.

India is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, and its large market presents an important opportunity for U.S. companies to sell their goods and services to some of the 95 percent of consumers who live beyond our borders and boost job creation at home. Connecting American businesses to new opportunities in India’s rising infrastructure sector is an integral part of meeting President Obama’s National Export Initiative (NEI) goal of doubling U.S. exports by the end of 2014 to create more good-paying jobs.

For more information on Commerce’s efforts to support American businesses trade efforts, visit www.trade.gov. If you are a business and want to learn more about exporting, visit http://business.usa.gov/.

Additional details about the Secretary’s schedule in Jaipur and Mumbai will be announced in the coming days.